Category: getting shit done

Quokkas, as this dreadful survey and campaign continues, and the equality campaign misteps (that text!), we have compiled a list of other things you can be doing other than voting, if you were even able to, and social mediaing, about which Steph has complicated feelings.

Last Thursday, the Fair Work Commission announced a cut to Sunday penalty rates for the retail, pharmacy and hospitality industries. Casual workers are unaffected, but full- and part-time employees in those areas will see their Sunday and public holiday pay drop.

This week, we’re talking about the Homeless Ban in the City of Melbourne, where a proposal has been put forward to basically ban people from sleeping in the CBD. It’s an ongoing part of Melbourne’s campaign against homeless people (rather than homelessness). Beneath the fold we’ve got further reading and some action points.

Some friends of No Award have been using our scripts from last week, so today we’re having a look at some more scripts, and also some of the reactions we’re receiving. This is to allow you to prepare for the possibility that, as much as we advise you to be polite to staffers, a staffer might be rude to you. This way, you can engage in self-care before and after making stressful phone calls and receiving rude emails.

Hello Quokkas. Here at No Award we are all about activism and empowerment and knowing your enemies but, just as our popular media is so dominated by US voices that we had to start No Award to centre us here in Antipodia, we’ve found the statements and actions around activism to be very UScentric.

So to start your 2017 off right, we’ve pulled together an Australia-focused how-to on activism and maintaining the rage.

Please note we started this guide about three weeks ago and were taking our time about it, but given the events of the last few days thought we’d better get it up and running ASAP. As always, we welcome your suggestions.

Our hearts are heavy with grief and guilt for two people. Hodan, a Somali refugee, set herself alight on Nauru. She is 21. Omid, who self-immolated last week and later died, was 23. His family is being billed $17000 to fly his body to Iran.

Our Immigration Minister said this was the fault of activists and advocates encouraging refugees to self-harm, demonstrating a lack of self-awareness and empathy. The environments of despair created by Australia’s policies are, instead, the impetus for self-harm.

Don’t just sit there, mired in the knowledge that our country is deplorable and unforgiveable. If you can, come do some things.